Lint remover



July 15, 1947. A K r 2,423,962

LINT REMOVER Filed Jan. 1, 1944 INVENTORS.

Patented July 15, 1947 LINT REMOVER Homer '1. Clark, Los Angeles, and Carl J. Paterson, Van Nuys, Calif.

Application January 1, 1944, Serial No. 516,720

4 Claims.

Our invention comprehends the provision of a lint remover especially applicable to fabrics, rugs, draperies, clothing but equally useful on other surfaces and materials for picking up and removing lint, fibre, hair or dirt collected on surfaces. In a preferred form our device embodies a suitable holder on or within which is mounted a roll of tape or the like to the outer surface of which is applied a tacky adhesive substance having the general characteristics of ordinary and well known Scotch tape or adhesive tape such as is used on the human body.

An object, therefore, is to provide a device of the character mentioned in which the roll of tape is detachably held on the holder but preferably within the body of the holder whereby the and lint such convolution may be torn off and present a fresh convolution for use.

Another object is to provide a hollow holder of metal or plastic, together with a mating cover serving to completely enclose the roll of tape when not in use, the cover in such case serving as a base for supporting the device.

A further object is to provide cooperating means on the core or spool of the tape roll and on the holder for detachably supporting the roll in operative position. v

Other and more detailed objects of our invention will appear as the description progresses.

We have shown in the accompanying drawing a preferred form of lint remover embodying our improvements, subject, however, to modification, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In said drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing the device closed as when not in use;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 33 of Fig. l, with the cover removed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section in the plane of line 3-3; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a fragment of tape having its outer side treated with an adhesive element and adapted fOr use in our lint remover.

Briefly described, our device includes a holder in form of a housing A with its lower end fully open and adapted to receive a cover or base section B, and a spool C on which is wound a substantially large number of convolutions of adhesive tape D. Housing A and cover B are of generally rectangular cross section but of substantially less width than length. Housing A has similar sides I and la, similar ends 2 and 2a and a top 8 which are integrally formed as by means of stamping or molding operations. Cover B has similar sides 4 and 4a, similar ends 5 and 5a and a flat bottom 6. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the sides and ends of the cover may be formed with inwardly projected indented portions 51) at desirable points on a common horizontal plane against which the open lower edges of body A may engage in order to limit the downward thrust of the body in the cover when the cover is applied thereto. If desirable the body A may be provided with the indentations 5b on its outer surfaces for engaging the upper edges of the cover, in lieu of the reverse as before described. The form of the body and the cover is such that the device may be readily handled and particularly comfortably held in the hand of the user for moving the tape roll in a rolling motion over the surface to be cleaned.

While our invention contemplates any suitable means for operatively supporting the tape roll D in the housing A it is desirable to provide a means which will discourage if not actually prevent the use of unauthorized fillers of tape and yet will render the device readily capable of detachably supporting the spool on which the tape is wound. To thisend we have shown a form of tape mounting best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 which includes a cylindrical hollow core I on which the tape is tightly wound and yieldable members 8, 8 telescopically and loosely mounted in the ends of the spool or core. Members 8 have cylindrical bodies 9 and externally formed annular flanges I ll which are bent first inwardly and then outwardly to form necked portions II and are thence bent at angles to form inclined portions It. The members 8 when assembled in a core 1 are tensioned by an internal compression spring I3 which tends to urge the members 8 outwardly from the open ends of the core.

Housing A has transversely circular indented portions M which project inwardly into the openings l5 formed by the loops II and thus serve as bearings on which the tape roll C is rotatably mounted. In some cases as when the housing is formed of thin metal the sides I and la may have sufficient spring or resiliency so, that as shown in Fig, 3, the assembled tape roll and spool may be inserted in the housing A through its open bottom by forcing the tape roll inwardly so that the inclined portions l2 of members 1 will fric-' surfaces.

tionally engage the portions ll of the housing and thereby force the sides I and la outwardly to a sufficient extent to permit the passage of the portions I2 over portions l4 and into the position shown in Fig. 3. In other cases, as when the housing is formed of an unyielding material such as glass or plastic, or of thick metal the edges of portions I! will be spaced sufflciently from the sides of the tape roll D and its core Iv to permit the inward yielding of the members 8 against the tension of their common spring l3 when the tape roll is inserted in the housing. In still other cases both the housing sides and members 8 may yield for a like purpose.

It will be understood that the tape D is wound on its core with its adhesive surface outermost.

Thus each convolution of tape adheres tightly to the next inner convolution. As the device is used and successive strips of tape are removed from the roll said roll gradually decreases in diameter but the core I being substantially flush with the lower edge of the housing while the roll is extended below the bottom of the housing, all of the tape on a roll may be used. Cover B is of course of such depth that it will enclose a full roll of tape when it is fitted into position on the housing.

We may form the housing and cover of colored or colorable materials such as metal, glass or plastic so as to present an attractive appearance, and the devices may be of various sizes from a minimum required for cleaning clothes or fabrics in a. household or for personal use, or a maximum size adapted for cleaning rugs and other articles of large size.

In operation, the tape roll being extended from the housing A at the bottom andthe cover 13 being removed from the housing, the device is held in.

the hand of a user in a convenient manner such as with the thumb in one of the depressions M, the second finger in the opposite depression and the forefinger overlying the top 3 and end 2. The. device is then moved backwardly and forwardly over a surface to be delinted or cleaned and, as will be obvious, the tacky surface of the outermost convolution of the tape roll will adhere to and thus remove particles of matter from such Moreover, the tape will retain the removed particles until it is completely charged with matter, whereupon the outer convolution maybe torn off and thereby present a fresh convolution for use. The tape roll is so formed that all of the convolutions of the tape are usable because the innermost convolution is approximately flush with the bottom edge of the housing.

It will be noted that in some cases the entire spool may rotate 0n the housing while in others the tape roll may rotate on the spool, or in some cases both the spool and the tape roll may rotate.

Hence we have shown and described in detail a device which operates to attain the objectsof our invention, the essence of which is the provision of the suitable housing A which is usable for a holding element, the spool 8 and the tape rollD arranged for detachably supporting the tape roll and in which the tape roll is composed of a plurality of convolutions wound on the spool and adapted to rotate over surfaces for the removal of lint and dirt therefrom. Other uses for our invention may readily occur.

We claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising: a housing having sides of box-like form with an upwardly bowed top and adapted to be readily grasped in the hand of a user, and havinga bottom opening exposed when so held; a depression in each of two opposite sides of the housing in which the tips of the thumb and a finger of the user may be positioned to facilitate operation of the device, said depressions forming convex bearing surfaces projecting from the inner surface of said sides; a spool; and a roll of adhesive tape wound on said spool with the tacky surface of the tape outward, the ends of said spool being supported on said bearing surfaces so that the inner turns of said roll are positioned substantially at the level of the edges of the opening of said housing; tubular elements mounted one at each end and within said spool in sliding engagement therewith, the outer ends of said elements being necked and flared outwardly to fit securely against said bearing surfaces; a helical \spring arranged within said spool and compressed between the necked portions of said tubular elements; and a removable cover for said opening of the housing serving as a base for said device when not in use, said cover being spaced from the periphery of the spool mounted in the housing.

2. A device of the character described comprising: a housing of box-like form adapted to be readily grasped in the hand of a user and having a bottom opening exposed when so held; a depression in each of two opposite sides of the housing in which the tips of the thumb and a finger of the user may be positioned to facilitate operation of the device, a spool; and a roll of adhesive tape wound on said spool with the tacky surface of the tape outward and including relatively yieldable means carried by the housing and the spool member, and operatively supporting the spool so that the inner convolution of the adhesive tape is positioned substantially at the level of the edges of the opening of the housing.

3. A device of the character described comprising: a housing of box-like form adapted to be readily grasped in the hand of a user and having a bottom opening exposed when so held; a depression in each of two opposite sides of the housing in which the tips of the thumb and a finger of the user may be positioned to facilitate operation of the device, a spool; and a roll of adhesive tape wound on said spool with the tacky surface of the tape outward and including relatively yieldable means carried by the housing and the spool-member, andoperatively supporting the spool so that the inner convolution of the adhesive tape is positioned substantially at the level of the edges of the opening of the housing, and also including tubular elements mounted one at each end of and within said spool in sliding engagement therewith, the outer ends of said elements being necked and flared outwardly to fit securely against bearing surfaces on the housing; a spring arranged within the spool and compressed between the necked portions of said tubular elements; and a remov able cover for the opening of the housing serving as a base for said device when not in use, said cover being spaced from the periphery of the spool mounted in the housing.

4. A device "of the character described comprising: a housing of box-like form adapted to be readily grasped in the. hand of a user and having a bottom opening exposed when so held; a depression in each of two opposite sides of the housing in which the tips of the thumb and a finger of the user may be positioned to facilitate operation of the device, a spool; and a roll of adhesive tape wound on said spool with the tacky surface of the tape outward and including relatively yieldable means carried-by the housing and the spool member, and operatively supporting the spool so that the inner convolution of the adhesive tape is positioned substantially at the level of the edges of the opening of the housing, an a removable cover for the opening 01' the housing serving as a base for said device when not in use and spaced from the periphery of the spool mounted in the housing.

HOMER T. CLARK. CARL J, PATERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Chapin Mar. 25, 1902 Schmidt Feb. 10, 1903 Burns et aL Mar. 20, 1934 French Sept. 18, 1923 Faber May 24, 1927 Moore Dec. 15, 1891 Hunter Feb. 6, 1934 Peck Apr. 12, 1898 Koebe May 13, 1924 Rider June 13, 1944 Golub Sept. 14, 1943 Read Dec. 21, 1937 

